


Unexpected

by mystic_believexx



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: AU, M/M, Magic-Users, Mention of injuries, Oneshot, Soul Bond, Soulmates, a brief scene with toddler Alec
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 06:03:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11052843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mystic_believexx/pseuds/mystic_believexx
Summary: Soulmates do not exist, Ragnor,” Magnus stated, taking a sip of his cocktail, “Those are just myths.”Still, try as he might, Magnus could find no other explanation for the way his magic had reached out towards Alexander Lightwood, refusing to hurt the boy; craving to protect him.





	Unexpected

**Author's Note:**

> My first Malec fic! I promised a few people on tumblr that I would write this at some point and I finally did. I hope it’s not too bad! <3 xx  
> A quick thank you to my roommate who forced me to watch Shadowhunters all those months ago. I apologise for any mistakes or inaccuracies.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing related to the Shadowhunter/Mortal Instruments universe. This was just written for fun. 

When Ragnor Fell walked into his friend’s loft, he thought he was ready for anything. Perhaps it would be a bee infestation like last time, or pink glitter everywhere, like the time before. Hell, he was even ready to fight off a clan of vampires because it was entirely possible Magnus had gotten in trouble with them again. What Ragnor wasn’t prepared for, was to see Magnus Bane having a staring contest with a toddler.

“Am I in an alternate dimension?” Ragnor asked out loud, snapping Magnus’ gaze away from the child.

“Ragnor! I have never been happier to see you!” Magnus exclaimed, getting up from the couch and walking over.

Or, well, _attempting_ to walk over. He was stopped by small hands clutching at his robes. Wide blue eyes glared at Ragnor with obvious mistrust.

“It’s alright, Alexander,” Magnus said softly, petting the child’s wavy, dark hair.

Ragnor blinked. He had never seen Magnus interact with anyone quite so…tenderly. 

“You can’t just name the kid, Magnus,” is what he settled for saying, raising a disapproving eyebrow at his whimsical friend.

“I didn’t!” Magnus frowned at him, “As if I would be so unimaginative as to come up with such an ordinary name!”

Magnus yelped in pain when a small foot kicked him in the thigh.

“F..fudgemelons!” he gasped out, reaching down to lift the toddler into his arms, “Did I forget to mention that Alexander is a _beautiful_ name? It fits you perfectly.”

The child, Alexander, seemed mollified, choosing to rest his head against the crook of Magnus’ neck as he turned to face Ragnor again.

“As I was saying,” Magnus continued, ignoring Ragnor’s incredulous expression at the scene he had just witnessed, “I didn’t name him. He told me his name.”

Ragnor stared at the toddler who was now sucking on his own thumb, blue eyes fastened on Magnus with a mixture of awe and fondness.

“Magnus,” Ragnor was truly getting worried for his friend’s sanity, “That child looks no older than one!”

“Alexander is very advanced for his age,” Magnus answered, absently stroking his fingers through the boy’s hair, “Well…he only knows how to say his name but-”

“ _Why_ is he here?” Ragnor exclaimed.

Alexander fidgeted and Magnus immediately started rocking him, throwing Ragnor a glare.

“Keep your voice down! Alexander has sensitive hearing.”

The child made a noise, as if in agreement. 

“And he’s here because…well…I _may_ have had a slight mishap with my magic?”

“Then just return him to his family,” Ragnor suggested, not understanding the problem.

Magnus narrowed his eyes.

“What a brilliant idea! Now, why wouldn’t I have thought of that? Oh, wait! I did.”

“If you want my help, tone down the sarcasm, Magnus,” Ragnor stated, flatly.

Magnus sighed as if it greatly pained him, “The reason I can’t just return him to his family is because he’s a Lightwood.”

Ragnor paled.

“Y..you mean, one of Maryse Lightwood’s kids? A Shadowhunter?”

“Indeed. I doubt she’ll be welcoming of any Downworlder striding into the Institute, much less one who accidentally kidnapped her son,” Magnus muttered, “She’ll have me arrested and put before the Clave.”

“Magnus!”

“Mags!” Alexander dutifully copied Ragnor.

“Isn’t he a quick learner?” Magnus (and there was no other word to describe this) gushed, pressing a fond kiss to the boy’s forehead.

Alexander giggled, sticking his thumb back in his mouth. Charming.

“Why don’t we just create a portal into the Institute and send him through on his own?” Ragnor suggested, “No one will be the wiser.”

Magnus looked at him as if he had grown two heads.

“I’m not sending Alexander through a portal by himself!” the man gasped, “He’s just a baby! What if portal travel makes him sick?”

“Then how did he get here in the first place?”

“I told you. One of my experimental spells did something..unexpected. Next thing I know, Alexander is on my sofa, staring up at me.”

“Mags,” Alexander said again, as if in confirmation.

“Look,” Ragnor stated, rubbing a hand over his face, “If you don’t want the Lightwoods invading your loft with half the Clave behind them, you need to return the boy. Portal travel is safe. He’ll be fine.”

“But-”

“Magnus.” 

Magnus sighed, holding the child closer and pressing another kiss to his forehead.

“Mags?” the boy asked, peering up at the Warlock with a curious gaze.

“It’s time for you to return to your family, Alexander,” Magnus solemnly told the boy, “Who knows? Perhaps we’ll meet again someday.”

It only took a few minutes to create a portal and place the boy inside it. When the portal closed behind Alexander, Magnus fell onto the couch and closed his eyes.

“Magnus? Are you alright?”

“Of course I am,” Magnus hummed, “I think I’ll miss the kid.”

Ragnor frowned. He had never taken Magnus to be someone who was fond of children. 

“What was the spell that brought him here?”

“Sodales,” Magnus stated, pointing to the Book of the White that was lying open on the table.

Ragnor blinked.

“A _soulmate_ spell?!”

Magnus shrugged but a tinge of pink entered his cheeks.

“I was just curious to see if I had a soulmate,” he defended his actions.

“And…it summoned Alexander Lightwood?”

“Well, clearly I did it wrong!” Magnus huffed out an annoyed breath, “My soulmate can’t be a toddler!”

“But Magnus-”

“Thanks for your help, Ragnor. You should drop in for a cup of tea some other time.”

It was a clear dismissal so Ragnor let it go. For now.

<><><>

The first time he had gotten involved with Shadowhunter business had been because of a Lightwood. It was oddly fitting that the cycle was repeating itself.

“Magnus! Open the door!” Isabelle Lightwood shouted, her knocks getting louder.

Magnus smirked to himself. He had already told the girl he would not get involved anymore. He had done his part during the fight against Valentine and he owed them nothing else.

“Magnus, we need you,” it was Jace Wayland’s voice this time, sullen and reluctant as always.

Jace would always hate asking for help because, to him, help was synonymous with accepting defeat. 

“The whole world needs me, darling,” Magnus called back, more out of habit than arrogance, “Unfortunately, I find myself not having the time.”

“You’re immortal. I think you can spare us a few minutes.” 

And _that_ was Alexander Lightwood or Alec, as he preferred to be called now.

Of course, the boy hadn’t remembered him. How could he? Alec had been a toddler the last time they had met. Still, the first time they had seen each other again as adults, the Shadowhunter had looked at him curiously, almost as if he had some small recollection of having met Magnus before. 

If Alec had been cute as a child, he was striking now. Something about him had always fascinated Magnus and the more time he spent around him, the more intrigued he became. At one point, he had briefly considered taking their joking flirtations a step further. He could admit, to himself at least, that no one had caught and held his interest in such a way for decades. 

But then, he had witnessed Alec in battle. The Shadowhunter was skilled, yes, but he was also selfless, throwing himself into harm’s way to protect his loved ones. And during that one fight when Jace had gotten injured, Alec had looked up at Magnus with the same vulnerability he had possessed as a child. That had been the deciding factor for Magnus.

Yes, Alec Lightwood fit his description of perfection but he couldn’t toy with the boy’s heart. If Magnus ever hurt him (and he would because that was his nature), he didn’t think Alec would try to seek revenge. No, he would suffer in silence and somehow, that was worse. 

“Magnus!” 

Magnus ignored Alec’s comments as he poured his latest creation into a glass, offering it to Ragnor.

“We should have done this at my place,” Ragnor muttered, graciously accepting the drink. 

“This is the last time, we swear-” Isabelle was persistent. He would give her that.

“That’s what you said the last time. _And_ the time before that,” Magnus pointed out, taking a sip of his cocktail. 

It was absolutely perfect, a morning well-spent.

“Oh, fuck this! If you don’t open this door, we’re breaking in,” Jace shouted.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Ragnor raised his voice so the Shadowhunter could hear, “Magnus’ shields are rather powerful.”

There were a few seconds of silence before the door slammed open. Ragnor’s eyes widened and, although Magnus would never admit it, he too, was startled.

There, in the doorway, stood Alec, his siblings behind him.

“I think your shields could use some work,” Alec stated, placing his stele back in his belt and striding into the loft. 

He cast a quick glance around the room.

“ _This_ is what you were busy with? Happy hour?”

“Do not judge my life choices, Alexander,” Magnus narrowed his eyes at the boy, whose cheeks became tinged with red as Magnus uttered his full name. 

_Interesting_.

“Uh..Magnus?” Jace called out, pulling Magnus’ gaze to him, “We can’t seem to come in.”

Him and Isabelle were still standing at the doorway, unable to take a step inside.

“Because you’re not supposed to,” Magnus answered, “My shields are there for a reason.”

“How did Alec manage to walk in then?” Isabelle asked, eyes narrowing.

“I don’t know,” Magnus finally admitted, his gaze returning to the oldest Lightwood, “But barging into my house is hardly going to convince me to help you.”

Jace was talking again but Magnus tuned him out. He raised a hand, intending to use his magic to push Alec out of his living space but, to his utter astonishment, the boy didn’t even budge.

Magnus blinked, shaking his fingers out to make sure the magic started to flow. He tried again and this time, he focused on following the path his magic took. It reached out towards Alec but, the moment Magnus tried to push him out, his magic curled in on itself, refusing to obey. In all his years of living, he had never experienced such a thing!

Ragnor’s sharp intake of breath told Magnus he had noticed the strange phenomenon as well but, discrete as ever, his friend didn’t mention it to the curious Shadowhunters.

Magnus took a deep breath and reoriented himself. It seemed his magic was experiencing some kind of temporary glitch. He would deal with that later. For now…

“Alexander,” Magnus said, an odd thrill raced through him when Alec’s eyes met his, both nervous and defiant, “I am willing to not consider this a breach of the Accords if you leave now.”

“It’s not a breach,” Isabelle called out from the doorway, “We aren’t here to start a war.”

“We need your help,” Alec stated, holding Magnus’ gaze with unwavering determination, “It’s important.”

Magnus rolled his eyes.

“You and I have very different definitions of ‘important’, Alexander. I, for instance, consider cocktails on a Monday morning a rather important-”

“Please, Magnus?” Alec cut across him, “You’re the only one we can trust with this.”

And really. That just wasn’t fair! He may have decided not to romantically pursue Alec but he wasn’t made of stone! He couldn’t just ignore the boy when he sounded so…desperate.

“On one condition,” Magnus was hardly aware of having moved but he was now in front of Alec, close enough to touch, “Tell me how you managed to break into my house.”

He was close enough to notice the way Alec’s breath hitched. Magnus sighed to himself. It was getting more difficult to stick with his resolve of not propositioning the boy. 

“Um..I..I just…drew the unlocking rune on your door,” Alec stammered out and Magnus nearly smirked when he saw the way the boy’s eyes kept flitting to his mouth. 

Hm. Perhaps he should revisit the idea of propositioning. Clearly, Alec wasn’t as unaffected by the Warlock as he tried to pretend. It took another moment for the boy’s words to sink in.

“ _What?_ ” Magnus stared at Alec and then at the door. 

His shields were still up, as evidenced by the fact that Isabelle and Jace were standing outside, glaring at him. So how then, had Alec been able to get past them with nothing more than an unlocking rune? 

Magnus turned to Ragnor and, without words, his friend understood what he was asking.

“I’ll investigate the shields,” Ragnor promised, glancing between Alec and Magnus, “You seem to be needed elsewhere.”

“The Institute,” Alec supplied.

“Let’s go then,” Magnus muttered as he walked out the door, Alec following behind him. 

This, he told himself, was the absolute _last_ time he would get involved in Shadowhunter business. 

<><><>

Ragnor was a horrible friend, Magnus decided. He had asked him to investigate why his shields had failed and the Warlock had come up with the most ridiculous theory!

“Soulmates,” Magnus glared at his friend, “ _That’s_ your explanation.”

“It makes sense!” Ragnor defended, “Remember that time when you did the spell to find your soulmate? He’s the one who appeared. And now, your shields work on everyone except Alexander-”

“Alec,” Magnus interrupted, “His name is Alec.”

For some reason, the thought of anyone else calling the boy that made him uncomfortable. Ragnor smirked as if Magnus had just confirmed something. 

“I saw the way your magic behaved around him. It refused to listen to you, to push him away. He is your soulmate, Magnus.”

“Soulmates do not exist, Ragnor,” Magnus stated, tipping his head back on the couch cushions, “Those are just myths. Fairytales we cling to.”

“Are they?” Ragnor gave Magnus a knowing look, “Are you saying you feel nothing for the boy?”

Magnus didn’t answer. 

“A Warlock’s magic does not resist our commands without good reason,” Ragnor said, his voice a trace softer this time, “You and I have both lived long enough to understand that.”

“He is not my soulmate,” Magnus stated again, ignoring Ragnor’s disappointed look at his response.

Still, try as he might, Magnus could find no other explanation for the way his magic had reached out towards Alexander Lightwood, refusing to hurt the boy; craving to protect him.   
Shit.

<><><>

Alec was injured. 

Magnus ignored everyone that surrounded the boy’s bed, pushing past Jace and Clary so he could get to Alec.

“Demons. We were outnumbered,” Isabelle explained as Magnus ran a palm over Alec’s bare chest. The boy’s breathing was shallow, more strained gasps than comfortable breaths.

Magnus rattled off a list of ingredients he needed. Alec’s siblings and Clary scurried off to get them. Even Jace, who usually questioned every order, hurried to do his bidding; a sign of just how dire the situation was.

It took Magnus forty minutes to drain all the venom and apply the healing paste. 

“He’ll be alright,” he finally murmured, hearing the relieved sighs around him.

Magnus spared himself a moment to close his eyes and take a deep breath, letting himself feel a sense of relief. Alec would be fine. 

“Who was responsible for this?” Magnus asked, his tone deceptively soft.

Isabelle rattled off several names of demons. Magnus stored the names away in his mind. He ignored the part of him that wanted to lean down and press a soft kiss to Alec’s head. 

Magnus was exhausted but he had enough energy and magic left to do one last thing. With blazing eyes, he left to seek vengeance on the creatures that had caused Alexander Lightwood pain. 

<><><>

“Those demons were killed? How strange,” Magnus remarked, careful to keep his gaze averted from Alec’s.

“Very,” Alec agreed, “They say it was magic that killed them.”

“Remarkable,” Magnus stated, holding up two glasses, filled with cocktails.

“Thank you,” Alec answered without reaching for the glass Magnus had offered him.

“I believe social custom dictates that you accept the drink before thanking the person who made it,” Magnus pointed out.

Alec stepped closer and Magnus felt his heart speed up. No one else had ever had this much of an effect on him.

“I wasn’t thanking you for the drink,” Alec whispered, tilting his head down slightly until he was only a breath away from Magnus’ lips, “I was thanking you for saving my life.”

“It was nothing,” Magnus whispered back, his voice coming out as a weak rasp.

Alec’s eyes locked with his and Magnus found himself unable to look away when Alec murmured, “It wasn’t to me.”

And then, Alec’s lips were on his, hard and desperate. The feeling was indescribable. Magnus had been kissed many times in his life and yet none of them even came close to what he felt now. Electricity zipped through his veins, his magic crackling around them, enshrouding them in a protective cocoon.

Hands grabbed his waist, tugging him closer and Magnus let go of the glasses he had been holding in favour of wrapping an arm around the Shadowhunter. Alec moaned, the kiss losing its desperate edge and turning more gentle; slower, softer.

“Sofa?” It was both a question and a plea and, staring at Alec’s wet pink lips, Magnus found himself nodding in agreement.

It was easy, so easy, to get caught up in the feeling. Alec pulled him down on top of him, adjusting their positions so Magnus was sitting on the younger boy’s lap, his legs bracketing Alec’s. Magnus’ hands threaded through Alec’s hair, pulling the man closer. Alec obliged and a soft groan left Magnus’ mouth when the Shadowhunter lightly nibbled on his bottom lip. 

When they finally pulled apart for a breath, Magnus’ rational mind caught up with the proceedings.

“We need to talk about this, Alexander,” he told the boy, trying to ignore the way his breath came out in pants. 

Alec’s eyes had turned almost black with desire but he stilled his movements at once, body tense in anticipation of what Magnus was about to say. 

“There’s just…there’s a lot you don’t know,” Magnus continued, knowing he should get up but having no true desire to, “About me. About…us. What you’re feeling-”

“If you’re talking about us being soulmates, I know. I’ve known for a while,” Alec answered, bluntly.

Magnus knew his eyes had widened, his mouth falling open.

“H..how did you-?”

“Ragnor. I didn’t believe him at first but…well. I’ve always felt drawn to you. From the very first time we met.”

And really, Magnus was going to kill his friend but before he could ask Alec exactly what Ragnor had said, the Shadowhunter was pressing another kiss to his lips, drawing Magnus closer to him.

“Tomorrow,” Alec said, his lips finding their way to the exposed skin of Magnus’ neck, “Just…can the talking wait until tomorrow?”

“Alright,” Magnus murmured, letting his eyes flutter shut as Alec proceeded to suck a mark into his skin.

They had a lot to discuss tomorrow, a lot of questions to answer but tonight, Magnus would cherish the unexpected. Tonight, he would cherish Alec.

**Author's Note:**

> This was just a quick oneshot but I hope you liked it! Comments and kudos are always a welcome surprise :) xx


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